from space and hurl like an extreme human cannonball, no thank you, and head straight toward the new mexico desert. >> reporter: the plan, years in the making is simply astounding. felix baumgartner will try to make a supersonic stratospheric jump leaping from 23 miles high breaking the sound barrier at speeds 700 miles an hour. baumgartner, a former austrian paratrooper says he is ready for the extreme challenge. >> we practiced this for so many years. and now we are almost there. so this is my biggest dream. and we are one step closer and almost there. i feel good at the moment. >> reporter: along with his nerves of steel, the mission requires cutting edge kameequip, he'll strap on a helmet, special suit and lift off from roswell in a 3,000-pound cable and a bag, balloon with 30 million cubic feet of helium, the skin thinner than a zip-lock baggy. stretching 55 stories high, it is so huge it would cover 40 acres if laid flat. the ride up to reach 120,000 feet will take close to three hours, and then with the sky black and the curve of earth in sight, the moment of truth. >> that one step